2006 BYU Cougars football team
Encyclopedia
The 2006 BYU Cougars football team represents Brigham Young University
in the 2006 college football season. The Cougars won the Mountain West Conference
(MWC) championship outright with an 11-2 record (8-0 in the MWC), their first unbeaten conference play since 2001 (7-0 MWC, 12-2 Overall). This was also BYU's third season with at least a share of the MWC title (co-champions with and Utah
in 1999, and sole champions in 2001).
BYU finished the 2005 regular season with a 6-5 record and 5-3 for the conference. They would end their post-season with a 35-28 loss to California
in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl
at Sam Boyd Stadium
in Las Vegas, Nevada
.
The Cougars play their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium
, named after its legendary coach, LaVell Edwards
.
John Beck, running back
Curtis Brown, linebacker
Cameron Jenson and tight end
Jonny Harline
.
or the AP Poll
, and would not enter the polls until they had won their eighth game. They steadily rose in the rankings mainly on the strength of an offense that finished the regular season 5th in the nation in scoring and 4th in passing yards of 323.5 per game. The key to their offense was quarterback
John Beck, who was one of the nation's top quarterbacks, running back
Curtis Brown, and tight end
Jonny Harline
. They averaged a 465.5 yards and 36.8 points per game.
The Cougars played five bowl-bound teams during the season—Boston College, their second opponent from one of the six BCS conferences; ; TCU
; the ; and their conference rivals, the Utah Utes
. Notably, BYU defeated TCU (then ranked #15) by 31-17 putting an end to the Horned Frogs' 13-game winning streak.
Jonny Harline
Jake Kuresa
Bronco Mendenhall
Curtis Brown
Sete Aulai
Cameron Jensen
Quinn Gooch
Bryan Kehl
Jared McLaughlin
Nate Meikle
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in the 2006 college football season. The Cougars won the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
(MWC) championship outright with an 11-2 record (8-0 in the MWC), their first unbeaten conference play since 2001 (7-0 MWC, 12-2 Overall). This was also BYU's third season with at least a share of the MWC title (co-champions with and Utah
1999 Utah Utes football team
The 1999 season was the inaugural season for the Mountain West Conference, created by 8 teams from the Western Athletic Conference splitting off. The Utes were conference co-champions this season, sharing the title with and .-Schedule:...
in 1999, and sole champions in 2001).
BYU finished the 2005 regular season with a 6-5 record and 5-3 for the conference. They would end their post-season with a 35-28 loss to California
2005 California Golden Bears football team
The 2005 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the college football 2005-2006 season. They played their home games at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California and were coached by Jeff Tedford....
in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl
2005 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2005 edition to the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl was the 14th edition of that annual game. It featured the California Golden Bears, and the ....
at Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
The Cougars play their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Provo, Utah, on the campus of Brigham Young University. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars....
, named after its legendary coach, LaVell Edwards
LaVell Edwards
R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...
.
Pre-season
Among the returning starters were quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
John Beck, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Curtis Brown, linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Cameron Jenson and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Jonny Harline
Jonny Harline
Jonathan "Jonny" Harline in North Brunswick, New Jersey) is a current member of the band Perfect Disorder. He played college football at Brigham Young.-College career:...
.
During the season
The Cougars started the season unranked in either the Coaches PollCoaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
or the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, and would not enter the polls until they had won their eighth game. They steadily rose in the rankings mainly on the strength of an offense that finished the regular season 5th in the nation in scoring and 4th in passing yards of 323.5 per game. The key to their offense was quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
John Beck, who was one of the nation's top quarterbacks, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Curtis Brown, and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Jonny Harline
Jonny Harline
Jonathan "Jonny" Harline in North Brunswick, New Jersey) is a current member of the band Perfect Disorder. He played college football at Brigham Young.-College career:...
. They averaged a 465.5 yards and 36.8 points per game.
The Cougars played five bowl-bound teams during the season—Boston College, their second opponent from one of the six BCS conferences; ; TCU
2006 TCU Horned Frogs football team
TCU began the 2006 season with high expectations. After a 2005 season where the TCU Horned Frogs lost only one game and won the Mountain West Conference championship, nothing less was expected of the Frogs in 2006. The season would start with two old Southwest Conference foes, and Texas Tech...
; the ; and their conference rivals, the Utah Utes
2006 Utah Utes football team
The 2006 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team was coached by 2nd year head football coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes played their homes games in Rice–Eccles Stadium.-Schedule:...
. Notably, BYU defeated TCU (then ranked #15) by 31-17 putting an end to the Horned Frogs' 13-game winning streak.
Postseason awards and citations
John Beck- MWC Offensive Player of the Week for seven weeks
- Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year (unanimous)
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Finalist
- Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist
- Heisman candidate
- Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week
- First Team All-Mountain West Conference (unanimous)
- Second Team All-America, The Sporting News
- Honorable Mention All-America, CBSSportsline.com, Pro Football Weekly, College Football News
Jonny Harline
- Mackey Award semifinalist
- First Team All-America, The Sporting News, ESPN, College Football News, CBSSportsline.com, SI.com
- Third Team All-America, Associated Press
Jake Kuresa
- Second Team All-America, College Football News
- Honorable Mention All-America, The Sporting News
- First Team All-Mountain West Conference
Bronco Mendenhall
- AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year
Curtis Brown
- First Team All-Mountain West Conference
Sete Aulai
- Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
Cameron Jensen
- First Team All-Mountain West Conference (unanimous)
- Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Quinn Gooch
- Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
Bryan Kehl
- Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Jared McLaughlin
- Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
Nate Meikle
- Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
- Academic All-District
- National Scholar-Athlete Candidate
Schedule
Roster
| (as of September 2006) | ||||||
| Edit | ||||||
Wide Receivers
Offensive Guards
Offensive Tackles
Centers
Offensive Linemen
|
Tight Ends
Fullbacks
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Defensive line
Defensive Ends
Defensive Tackles
|
Defensive backs
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Punters
Kickers
|
||||
| † Starter at position * Injured | ||||||